Packaging device



June 7, 1966 F. uvoDlcH 3,254,551

PACKAGING DEVICE Filed Nov. 6, 1962 United States Patent O 3,254,551 PACKAGING' DEVICE Frank Uvodich, 1922 Brewington Ave., Watsonville, Calif. Filed Nov. 6, 1962, Ser. No. 235,705 7 Claims. (Cl. 83-171) This invention relates to the packaging art, and more particularly to a wrapping table.

Alt-hough the device of the present invention may have a much larger number of applications than those disclosed herein and should not be limited thereto for th-is'reason, it has been found especially useful in manipulating heat scalable transparent film for packaging heads of lettuce.

In the past, -it has been the practice to use little or no apparat-us to supply wrapping film for the manual wrapping of head lettuce, manual wrapping being advantageous to preventlthe lettuce from becoming bruised while lbeing wrapped. Such film is generally procured in the form of a supply roll. Due to the nature of the supply roll and because of the well known electrostatic property off the film, its manual manipulation is very difficult.

The -above described and other disadvantages of the prior art are overcome by providing apparatus for cutting a supply of wrapping. material into sheet sections, theapparatus including a table to support the material at a rearward end thereof, pivoted lever means having one end at the forward end of the table, a wire carried on the other end of the lever means, and means to heat th'e wire, whereby a severed end of the material may be pulled from the rearward end to the forward end of the table and again severed by moving Ithe one end of the lever means.

Note will be taken from the foregoing that by the use of a small a'mount of additional apparatus, it is possible to draw a portion of a roll of transparent film acr-oss a wrapping table, and cut that portion from the roll substantially with one movement of one hand.

In accordance with another outstanding feature of the present invention, the apparatus may include guide means for the end portion of the transparent film including an idler roller to rest on top of the material, and means to retain the roller in a substantially fixed horizontal positionrrotatable about its own axis and at the same time,

.movable vertically. Such guide means may -be employed to perform' two functions. Prior to the time that said end portion of the sheet material is pulled across the table top, the guidemeans may hold the end of the supply roll in a position easily accessible to the thumb and forefinger of the person operating the machine. Furthermore, the idler roller of the guide means may weight down the film so that it is stretched taut and may be cut easily by the heated wire.

According to another feature of the invention, a vertical plate is positioned contiguous to the idler roller to hold a severed end of the sheet material approximately vertically tothe table for easy access.

In accordance with still another feature of the invention, the end portion of lthe roll of film is pulled over the top of the vertical plate and severed by the heated wire at a position spaced therefrom, whereby the length of the 'film between'its severed point and the upper end of the rplate fiexes upwardly and remains in a substantially vertical position spaced from the upper edge of the plate in a position easily accessible to the person operating the device.

Accord-ing to another feature of the invention, the idler roller acts as drag means t-o resist yieldingly the pulling of the severed edge of the film to the forward end of the table. Thus, while the heated wire is raised to a position in contact with the film, the film is held taut Patented June 7, 1966 ice by the machine operator and by the frictional resistance offered by the idler roller to resist yieldingly the passage of the film thereunder. v

The above described and other advantages of the present invention will be better understood from the following description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings.

ln the drawings which are to be regarded as merely illustrative:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of Athe device of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view thereof;

FIG. 3 is m enlarged sectional View of the device taken on the line 3 3 shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a longitudinal 'sectional view of the device taken on the line 4 4 shown in FIG. 2; and

FIG. 5 is a tranverse sectional view of the device taken on the line 5 5 shown in FIG. 2.

A table 10 is shown in FIG. 1 having a top 11 and legs 12. Table 10 has a pair `of ears 13 shown in both FIGS. 1 and 2 to carry-a transparent film supply roll 14. The lm at the end of the roll 14 extends as at 15 under a cylindrical rod 16 that is freely rotatable and slides up and down in a pair of channels 17 fixed vertically on table top 11. Film 15 extends upwardly as at 18 as shown in FIG. l, above the upper end of blade 19 in a position which may be easily grasped at the center thereof with the thumb and forefinger. Film at 18 is pulled at the position shown in dotted lines 20 in FIG. l'each time it is desired to wrap, for example, a head of lettuce.

A film panel is cut by means of apparatus including a bar 21 which acts in a manner similar to the space -bar on a typewriter. The same rotates an electrically heated wire 22 to a position in contact with the film at 23 shown in FIG. l to cut the film when bar 21 is depressed. Wire 22 is held taut between the legs of a U-shaped member 24 that is fixed to the end of a framework 25 to which bar 21 is rigidly fixed. Framework 25 is pivoted about a shaft 26 through a 'pair of ears 27 fixed to the underside of table top 11.

Table top 11 includes an electrically heatediron 50. Lettuce is wrapped after a section of transparent film is cut. The transparent film is heat sealable. After the lettuce is wrapped, the folded or gathered ends of the wrapping film are then pressed against iron 50.

Note will be taken in FIG. 4 that framework 25 is provided with a stop at 51 to engage the underside of the forward end of table top 11. That portion of framework 25 to the right of shaft 26 is heavier than 'that portion to the left thereof. Hence, framework 25 will normally restin the position shown in FIG. 4. Framework 25 will be rotated counterclockwise about shaft 26 as shown in FIG. 4 when bar 21 is depressed. Electrical leads are indicated at 52 in FIG. 4 which may be connected with wire 22. Electrical current thus may be passed through wire 22 to heat the same.

From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that the apparatus of the present invention is extremely useful in the manual wrapping of head lettuce with heat scalable transparent film. Nevertheless, this apparatus is unusually simple in construction. The use of the heated wire 22 makesvit possible to sever an end portion of film in FIG. 3 holds the film taut so that it may be cut evenly with heated wire 22. That is, the structure shown in FIG. 3 not only holds the end 18 of film 15 in an easily accessible position, but it also serves as tension means for the iilm during the time that the same is being cut.

Rod 16 is rotatable about its own symmetrical axis and is also movable vertically in channel 17. The combination of blade or plate 19 therewith holds the end of film 15 in the desired position at 18 shown in FIG. 1. Due to the fact that heated wire 22 is spaced from the left of the upper edge of plate 19, end 18 of film 15 extends v vertically above the upper edge of plate 19. This further enhances the accessibility feature of the end 18 of film 15.

Although only one specific embodiment of the present invention has been described and illustrated herein, many changes and modifications thereof will of course suggest themselves to those skilled in the art. This single embodiment has been selected for this disclosure for the purpose of illustration only. The present invention should not be limited to the embodiment so selected, the true scope of the invention being defined only in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. Apparatus for cutting a supply of wrapping material into sheet sections, said apparatus comprising: a table; means for rotatably mounting a supply roll at the rear of said table; a slot through said table adjacent said supply roll; guide means on said table between said slot and said roll to hold a severed end of said material in a position spaced therefrom for easy manual access; a lever extending under said table and pivoted therefrom, said lever having one end at the forward end of said table; a wire carried on the other end of said lever, said wire being positioned to rise through said table slot upon depression of said one lever end; and means to heat said wire, whereby a severed end of said material may be pulled from the rearward end to the forward end of said table and again severed by moving said one end of said lever means.

2. The invention as defined in claim 1, wherein said guide means includes an idler roller to rest on top of said sheet material, said idler roller being held on said table in a manner such that the same may rotate about its own axis and, at the same time, move vertically with respect to said table.

3. The invention as dened Ain claim 2, wherein said guide means also includes a vertical plate positioned contiguous to said idler roller to hold a severed end of said sheet material approximately vertically on said table.

4. The invention as defined in claim 3, wherein said guide means includes additional means for holding said idler roller on said table, said additional means including a vertically positioned U-shaped channel xed with said table and encompassing each end of said idler roller.

5. Apparatus for cutting a supplyrof wrapping material into sheet sections, said apparatus comprising: a table; means for rotatably mounting a supply roll at the rear of said table; a slot through said table adjacent said supply roll; a lever extending under said table and pivoted therefrom, said lever having one end at the forward end of said table; a wire carried on the other end of said lever, said wire being positioned to rise through said table slot upon depression of said one lever end; and means to heat said wire, whereby a severed end of said material may be pulled from the rearward end to the forward end of said table and again severed by moving said one end of said lever means.

6. Apparatus for handling sheet material, said apparatus comprising: a table having a vertically standing plate at the rearward end thereof; severing means to sever sheet material a short distance in front of said plate; and guide means to hold sheet material against the rear surface of said plate to cause a marginal end portion of the material to project upwardly beyond the upper edge of said plate in an easily accessible position, said table having an opening therethrough forward of said guide means, said severing means including a wire supported in alignment with said opening in a position to move upwardly against the surface of a piece of sheet material; and means to heat said wire by passing electric current therethrough.

7. Apparatus for handling sheet material, said apparatus comprising: a table having a vertically standing plate at the rearward end thereof; severing means to sever sheet material a short distance in front of said plate; guide means to hold sheet material against the rear surface of said plate to cause a marginal end portion of the material to project upwardly beyond the upper edge of said plate in an easily accessible position, said guide means including a dancing roll positioned immediately adjacent to the rear surface of said plate; means limiting translational movement of the ends of said roll to movement in a vertical plane, said roll being rotatable about its own symmetrical axis, upward movement of said roll being resisted only by the weight of the roll itself, said roll otherwise being entirely free to move upwardly, said table having an opening therethrough forward of said guide means, said severing means including a wire supported in alignment with said opening in a position to move upwardly against the surface of a piece of sheet material; and means to heat said wire by passing electric current therethrough.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS Re. 24,396 11/1957 Rumsey 53-390 X 2,718,738 9/1955 Mast et al 53-389 X 2,827,743 3/ 1958 Rumsey 53-219 2,842,910 7/1958 Reed 53-390 X FOREIGN PATENTS 1,261,276 4/ 1961 France.

815,146 6/1959 Great Britain.

FRANK E. BAILEY, Primary Examiner.

L. S, BOUCHARD, Assistant Examiner. 

1. APPARATUS FOR CUTTING A SUPPLY OF WRAPPING MATERIAL INTO SHEET SECTIONS, SAID APPARATUS COMPRISING: A TABLE; MEANS FOR ROTATABLY MOUNTING A SUPPLY ROLL AT THE REAR OF SAID TABLE; A SLOT THROUGH SAID TABLE ADJACENT SAID SUPPLY ROLL; GUIDE MEANS ON SAID TABLE BETWEEN SAID SLOT AND SAID ROLL TO HOLD A SEVERED END OF SAID MATERIAL IN A POSITION SPACED THEREFROM FOR EASY MANUAL ACCESS; A LEVER EXTENDING UNDER SAID TABLE AND PIVOTED THEREFROM, SAID LEVER HAVING ONE END AT THE FORWARD END OF SAID TABLE; A WIRE CARRIED ON THE OTHER END OF SAID LEVER, SAID WIRE BEING POSITIONED TO RISE THROUGH SAID TABLE SLOT UPON DEPRESSION OF SAID ONE LEVER END; AND MEANS TO HEAT SAID WIRE, WHEREBY A SEVERED END OF SAID MATERIAL MAY BE PULLED FROM THE REARWARD END TO THE FORWARD END OF SAID TABLE AND AGAIN SEVERED BY MOVING SAID ONE END OF SAID LEVER MEANS. 